Challenges in the diagnosis and management of acromegaly: a focus on comorbidities.

INTRODUCTION: Acromegaly is a rare, insidious disease resulting from the overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and is associated with a range of comorbidities. The extent of associated complications and mortality risk is related to length of exposure to the excess GH and IGF-1, thus early diagnosis and treatment is imperative. Unfortunately, acromegaly is often diagnosed late, when patients already have a wide range of comorbidities. The presence of comorbid conditions contributes significantly to patient morbidity/mortality and impaired quality of life. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective literature review for information relating to the diagnosis of acromegaly, and its associated comorbidities using PubMed. The main aim of this review is to highlight the issues of comorbidities in acromegaly, and to reinforce the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Successful management of acromegaly goes beyond treating the disease itself, since many patients are diagnosed late in disease evolution, they present with a range of comorbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. It is important that patients are screened carefully at diagnosis (and thereafter), for common associated complications, and that biochemical control does not become the only treatment goal. Mortality and morbidities in acromegaly can be reduced successfully if patients are treated using a multimodal approach with comprehensive comorbidity management.

Criterios ecográficos diagnósticos de neoplasia maligna en el nódulo tiroideo: correlación con la punción por aspiración con aguja fina y la anatomía patológica / Ultrasound diagnostic criteria of malignancy in a thyroid nodule: correlation with fine needle aspiration and pathology

Introducción. La ecografía de tiroides ha mejorado la certeza diagnóstica para neoplasia maligna del nódulo tiroideo. Es importante definir qué nódulos requieren biopsia por aspiración con aguja fina (BACAF) para disminuir el costo de un procedimiento innecesario y evitar que pase inadvertido el diagnóstico de neoplasia maligna. Objetivo. Validar los criterios ecográficos de neoplasia maligna que indican la punción por aspiración con aguja fina de tiroides. Materiales y métodos. Se diseñó un estudio prospectivo a tres años para evaluar la concordancia entre los hallazgos ecográficos y la punción por aspiración con aguja fina de tiroides comparada con el estudio final de histopatología. Se evaluó la sensibilidad, la especificidad, el valor diagnóstico positivo y negativo, la concordancia medida por el coeficiente kappa y el coeficiente de correlación. Resultados. Se estudiaron 1.467 pacientes, 10,2 % hombres y 89,8 % mujeres, con edades entre los 10 y los 95 años; el tamaño promedio del nódulo fue de 16 mm. Un total de 623 requirieron tiroidectomía; al resto se les hizo seguimiento por ecografía. Se presentaron 269 carcinomas papilares, 14 foliculares, 4 indiferenciados, 159 bocios, 74 adenomas y 101 tiroiditis. Se obtuvo sensibilidad de 86,4 %, especificidad de 89,4 %, valor diagnóstico de un resultado positivo de 87,5 % y uno negativo de 84,1 %. Los hallazgos ecográficos relacionados con cáncer fueron: hipoecogenicidad, microcalcificaciones, papilas y flujo intranodular. Individualmente, la concordancia fue baja, pero con la combinación de hipoecogenicidad, microcalcificaciones y papilas fue media y, con la adición de aumento del flujo intranodular, resultó alta. Conclusiones. La combinación de hipoecogenicidad, microcalcificaciones, papilas y alto flujo intranodular tiene alta concordancia con neoplasia maligna; sin embargo, cada criterio por separado no la tiene, y no pueden usarse individualmente para predecir o descartar neoplasia maligna.

Introduction. Thyroid ultrasound has improved the diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of malignant neoplasia in thyroid nodules. It is important to define which nodules require fine needle aspiration so as to diminish the costs of unnecessary procedures and at the same time avoid unnoticed malignancy. Objective. To validate the echographic criteria of malignant neoplasia that validate fine needle aspiration of the thyroid nodule. Material and methods. Three-year prospective study to assess correlation between the ultrasound findings and fine needle aspiration with pathology findings, including sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and concordance measured by Kappa coefficient, and correlation coefficient. Results. The study included 1,467 patients, 10,2% males and 89,8% females, with ages ranging from 10 years to 95 years; average size of the nodule was 16 mm; 623 patients required thyroidectomy, while the remainder were followed by ultrasound. There were 269 papillary carcinomas, 14 follicular carcinomas, 4 anaplastic carcinomas, 159 goiters, 74 adenomas, and 101 thyroiditis. Sensibility was 86,4%, specificity was 89,4%, positive predictive value 87,5%, and negative predictive value 84,1%. Ultrasound findings related with cancer were hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, papillae, and intranodal flow; when adding intranodal flow, concordance was high. Conclusions. The combination of hypoechogenicity, microcalcifications, papillae and high intranodal flow exhibit high concordance with malignancy; however, echographic criteria considered individually does not, and those individual criteria cannot be used to predict or rule out malignant neoplasia.